Coldwar gets hot
Texas Almost a country in itself, Texas offers sandy white beaches, heavy rains, and the temperate waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the south, bleak, barren scrublands in the west, breathtaking sunsets in the Panhandle, rolling hills and myriad lakes in the central region, and lush, towering pines in the east. Mountains, deserts, plains, forests, rolling hills, wetlands, coastal dunes, lakes, and rivers all mingle to form the Lone Star State. The nation's richest state in mineral resources, Texas is known for its oil and natural gas production, nor is it far behind in agriculture, second only to California. Contents: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet Coldwar Coldwar patrols the skies of Southwestern United States under the guise of HV-911 Eagle Eye. Looming over the expanse of highway just outside of Houston, the evil space soldier sweeps the landscape with swift efficiency for sign of enemy units, and potential advantage alike. Outside, A short while ago, a report had been forwarded to the EDC about a potential Decepticon presence in Texas, approaching Houston. Now, while not every unknown aircraft that was spotted was a Decepticon, it was still reported to the EDC, and typically, if the EDC's higher-ups deemed it necessary, someone was dispatched to go take a look. Apparently, something in this particular report had been deemed a 'threat', and Vince had been pulled from his R&D project to come take a look. As one of the only available exo-pilots with training and experience in the Talon class Exo's, Vince had grumbled a bit at being pulled away from his project, but he'd hopped into his Headhunter and taken off. Burning at max thrust, and on an intercept heading with what was showing up as an HV-911 on his radar, the young human pilot double-checked the readings on his sensors and shook his head. He didn't usually like being out alone, especially this close to Mexico, where the Decepticons had a major base. Unfortunately, everyone else was presently tied up on other missions, or off-duty and too far away to call in. So here was Vince, and with another glance at the readings of the Headhunter's sensor systems, he uttered a quick prayer beneath his breath, being a devout Catholic, and pulled back a bit on the stick to gain a bit more altitude, and come in a bit above the blip on his screen, for a good look at it. Coldwar made good time on his trek toward the city of Houston, and the advanced scouting sensors on the Eagle Eye were put to good use. Vehicles, humans, and buildings cluttered together in a much less visually stunning fashion than those on his native Cybertron dominated the Decepticon's view. Humans... They really did not appear dangerous, but then the briefing he'd been given before transfer to Earth had mentioned weapons capable of damaging his kind. Still, considering what he was seeing...that didn't seem possible, let alone probable. A new blip on the HUD would prove his disbelief unfounded. The unknown aircraft approached with relatively high speed, showing that the humans had at least some technological savy. In response to the approaching EDC craft, the UAV altered its course ever so slightly, almost matching the Headhunter's velocity. 'Better radio base', he thought to himself before his com flickered to life. Easing back on the thrusters a bit, Vince slowed the Headhunter's speed so he could get a good look at this unknown craft. As he approached visual range, the craft altered it's heading slightly and Vince frowned to himself. No radio chatter on the standard Earth military comm's, and that generally meant that it was a Decepticon. And then, it was still a fair distance off, but he could see it.....And he didn't much care for what he saw. That color green wasn't exactly standard coloring for any Earth military that he was aware of these days. So he flipped on his local broadband comm. <> Yeah, Vince maybe wasn't the most diplomatic of pilots, but he had never failed to get the job done, one way or another.....Even if it meant getting himself almost killed. The order to attack from the Aerospace Wingman designated Dirge came through loud and clear, setting the stage for engagement of the terrestrial alien craft. Coldwar was not so quick to engage, altering his course as ordered by the inbound enemy fighter. Standard protocol would dictate that the heading would take him on a course outside of said 'commercial airspace', while simultaneously placing him into ideal attack range and position. Poising himself to react, the declaration of war was issued by Coldwar's targetting system. Combat: Coldwar analyzes Exo-Jet Headhunter for weaknesses. Well, he hadn't been expecting the UAV to actually alter it's course. Figuring it for a Decepticon, Vince had fully expected to get shot at, instead. But then the HV-911 had turned to the indicated heading, and Vince was getting ready to turn and follow it out of the area, then RTB.....Except his systems registered weapons systems targetting him. Well, so much for a nice peaceful night, right? And, if that's not a hostile act, he wasn't exactly sure what was, so he brought his own weapon systems online. Now, the Talon's weapon systems weren't anything major, compared to some of the things that the Cybertronians had, but they could still do some major damage. So the young human veered his craft around, to angle in behind the apparently hostile UAV. He wasn't going to be firing the first shot here, since the 'enemy' was on the heading indicated, to move out of the area. For now, he would just escort him, and hopefully the engagement wouldn't start above heavily populated areas, or, better, at all. The human, surprisingly did not open fire as anticipated, but instead continued along the same heading as before. It was apparent to Coldwar after only a few moments that the enemy planned to hold fire until fired upon... Noble, perhaps, of the enemy soldier. Perhaps the other's standard protocol dictated such action be taken in such an event. Slowing to a still hover, the UAV about faced, lining its foreward section up with that of the EDC vehicle and held. Outside, Combat: Eagle_Eye_UAV takes extra time to steady itself. Pass As he angled around, Vince brought his targetting computer to bear on the HV-911. He wasn't going to take any unnecessary chances here, since he wasn't familiar with any Decepticons with this type of alt-mode. But he was convinced this was a Decepticon.....Especially as it came to a halt, and turned to face him. Well, time to take things to the next level. Again flipping on his local broadband comms, he took a brief moment for a breath, then spoke once again. <> And, with a satisfying ~beep~, his weapon systems locked onto Coldwar, as he hovered there and 'waited', Vince flipped the comm to recieve and pressed a button on the control panel before him. He was well within weapons range, and had a good lock, and as he streaked in towards the now stationary target, small panels just in front of the wings, to either side of the fuselage opened, and twin lasers slid out from previously hidden compartments, and immediately opened fire. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet sets its defense level to Aggressive. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet misses Eagle_Eye_UAV with its Laser attack! There it was, the soundoff... The laser beam crackled as it heated molecules to a sunder and popped as it streaked toward the UAV, which avoided the first shot with an agile bank to the left, and then back to the right around the energy lance. Apparently it wasn't protocol to wait to be fired upon... The human had some sense, at least. Coldwar should have expected as much, as a foolish enemy regardless of their alliance with the Autobots would never have been able to keep their forces from annihilation for so long. Now, with his enemy left prone on an attack vector the Decepticon soldier seized his moment. A transformation, fast and furious as to be expected of his kind leveled a black colored rifle easily the size of the Decepticon's arm upon the Exo-Jet and opened fire. Combat: Eagle_Eye_UAV sets its defense level to Neutral. Gears grind, pistons pump, and sheets of metallic frame click into place revealing a robot in disguise! But not one of the good guys... Oh no, it's Coldwar! Combat: Coldwar misses Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its Frostbite Cannon attack! Well, missing wasn't exactly how Vince wanted to start this engagement off, but hey, he'd just play it off as a warning shot! Though he fully expected a retaliatory shot, so he was ready and banked hard left, and into a dive to avoid the return fire from that massive rifle. That thing looked none-too-pleasant, to the human, so he'd do whatever he could to avoid it. And now, it was time to bring out his own big guns. The aerial Decepticon had made a mistake, and gone from a more agile mode, to the more blocky, robot mode. Those were /never/ as agile as the other forms, and Vince grinned as he eased his control stick back and to the right, lining him up once more on the now confirmed Decepticon. "Time to kick this dance into high-gear." Though he was speaking only to himself, as his comm was on recieve-mode at the moment, he still spoke, and then his primary weapons, twin 30mm machine guns mounted to either side of the cockpit in recessed openings spat forth a vicious stream of tracer rounds at Coldwar. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet strikes Coldwar with its Heavy Machine Gun attack! Corporal Vince Larsen says, "Looks like we have a new Decepticon player in the mix." Sergeant Jayson Redfield says, "Another one?" Corporal Vince Larsen says, "Looks that way. He's not very intelligent, though. He transformed from a more agile aerial mode to his robot form to attack me. Shouldn't take long to chase him back under whatever rock he crawled out from under." Coldwar never thought much of missing. Combat was difficult, and few shots hit their mark over the course of a battle when compared to the number fired. Still, it was a little humbling to find that as he watched his fire attack streak past the human Exo-Suit he realized just a moment too late that he was directly within the human's firing line. Heavy machinegun rounds slammed into his armored chassis, sending him toppling backward through the air head under heels before finally stabilizing himself. A brief, and visible shake seemed to brush off most of the shock of the impact despite a few smoking holes in his chest. "Not bad," he comments coolly to himself, before switching the weapon to single shot at which point he let a non-repeating shot fly. Combat: Coldwar misses Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its Frostbite Cannon attack! -2 Sergeant Jayson Redfield says, "How many Decepticons *are* intelligent?" Chuckling as he again rather easily evades the incoming fire, Vince keeps his cool under pressure, letting his faith keep the stress most feel in combat situations well away from him. Relaxed, as he pulls up sharply and into a barrel roll to avoid the single shot from Coldwar, he again powers up the tiny lasers and strafes the Decepticon as he zooms past, kicking back up to full throttle as he does, and flipping his local comms on again. <> Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet strikes Coldwar with its Laser attack! Corporal Vince Larsen says, "That's a good question, Jayson. This guy's not very accurate, either. He's 0-2 now." The amusement within the EDC pilot's voice was most evident over the com, but that did little to force the cool from the Decepticon soldier. The laser bolt lanced across his torso, carving a blackened dent into his armor, forcing him back. Still facing the enemy flier, Coldwar's optics squinted as he poised his rifle against his shoulder... While holding the position left him even more open to attack, the soldier took aim. 'I will do better... I will do better than that' he promised as he opened fire.. Combat: Coldwar sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its Frostbite Cannon attack! Sergeant Jayson Redfield says, "Don't get yourself killed, bro. Call for backup if you need it." Streaking past the Decepticon, Vince smiled and brought the Headhunter around for another run on Coldwar.....And angled right /into/ the incoming fire.....Which slammed directly into the nose of the Talon class exo, causing some fairly significant damage to the front end, and slamming the pilot around in the cockpit something fierce! Vince felt the bruising on his ribs almost immediately....Definitely gonna hurt like hell when this was over, but the adrenaline would keep the pain from affecting his performance. The grin gone now, the young human focused a bit more and again opened up with the Headhunter's primary weapons, though with the 'Frostbite cannon' impact damage, the effectiveness of the guns was reduced somewhat, hopefully just temporarily. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet strikes Coldwar with its Heavy Machine Gun attack! -2 Corporal Vince Larsen says, "Oh, I don't think I'll be getting killed. A little beat up, maybe, but I'll vacate before I get killed. This guy's gun packs a decent punch. Some kind of ice-based weapon." Things got a bit more serious, and the victory brought by the Frostbite Cannon's impact was short lived as yet another barrage of heavy machinegun fire blasted its way across Coldwar's left leg. Another series of spins sent the Decepticon soldier jerking about in the Texan airways. The human's attack vehicle was a bit more fierce than the briefing from Command had led him to believe... Hopefully, he thought as he observed the damage that his cannon had inflicted, the Exo-Suit was not terribly well armored. Rising higher within the sky in a bid for the 'high ground', Coldwar fired another single shot burst toward the enemy pilot. "This human is no slouch..." Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet with its Frostbite Cannon attack! -2 Sergeant Jayson Redfield says, "See if you can get a name." Things were definitely getting serious here! Vince grumbled as his controls, sluggish from that first shot, and all the damage to the nose of his bird allowed the Decepticon to outmaneuver him and, once again, land another shot....This one from above. The controls freezing up for a moment as the shot slams into the left wing of the Headhunter, Vince lets go of the stick for a moment, just letting the exo spiral, apparently out of control for a moment. Easing his hands back onto the controls, he makes the decision to go with some better armor, sacrificing speed and some agility, and reconfigures the Headhunter into it's robot form. If this Decepticon was as new to the fight here as Vince thought, it would surprise him and throw him off-balance....He hoped. A few brief and somewhat tense moments after the 'out-of-control' spiraling, Vince again grinned as the Headhunter reconfigured and brought both arms of the exo up, each sporting one of the machine guns, and again opened fire. <> It was a bluff, since those two shots had done a real number on the exo-suit, but the bluff would be hard to call for someone not familiar with the Talon class exo-suit. The damage could all be superficial, or the thing could be on it's last legs. But in this mode, the damage didn't look nearly as bad, and the thing still had some fight left in it, as another barrage of tracer rounds lit up the night sky on a path towards Coldwar. Exo-Jet Headhunter Jet transforms into its Exo-Jet Headhunter Robot mode. Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter strikes Coldwar with its Medium Machine Gun attack! Corporal Vince Larsen says, "I'll see what I can do." Corporal Vince Larsen says, "He's not talking much. I don't know that I'll get a name from him. I do know the Headhunter's gonna be in the hanger getting patched up for a while, though.....Again." Andi Lassiter says, "Should I perhaps go and try to speak with him?" Truly unexpected... The human had transformed. It was suddenly no wonder that these organics were able to assist the Autobots so well, when their technology was able to allow them the benefit of altering combat forms. "Alright, Soldier. Give me your best sh-" Coldwar was cut off prematurely, with this attack coming even faster than the heavy machinegun attack before it! A rough grunt was wrested from the Decepticon, and signs of real damage seemed to be made evident as he fell from his higher altitude to where he nearly hit the ground that had previously seemed so very far below him. Luckily, he was a veteran soldier...one who'd been fighting with the Decepticons for millions of years. If anyone could hold it together with such damage, it was he... Certainly, it was he. Allowing his antigravitational thrusters to ease him to the ground, Coldwar bent his knees as his feet made contact with the earth-only to push off again with a mighty thrust! Kicking antigravs back into gear Coldwar seemed to leap into the air with at least a bit of a boost as he fired another blast. "Come on... Find your way home..." he murmured, still frosty. Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Frostbite Cannon attack! Ok, /now/ things got truly serious. The Headhunter was definitely in rough shape....But Vince was no stranger to this kind of damage, or pain, as he is again rocked hard in the cockpit module. Sparks flying from the control panel before him, he smiles grimly behind his flight helmet, behind the tinted cockpit screen. As the Decepticon fell, then pushed off from the ground, the human, in a move sure to surprise pretty much anyone, used the maneuvering thrusters and robot-mode flight systems, to propel himself directly /towards/ his opponent. Though instead of firing back, as would be expected in a battle of this sort, the human closed in and made to spear Coldwar, with the viciously 'clawed' hands of the Headhunter, at maximum thrust. <> Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter strikes Coldwar with its Max-thrust Clawed FURY! attack! Corporal Vince Larsen says, "If he hits me once more, I'm out of this fight. But I'm pretty sure he's too badly damaged to do whatever it was he came to Houston to do." Corporal Vince Larsen says, "Still hasn't given up his name, though." Andi Lassiter says, "I'm on my way." Corporal Vince Larsen says, "Hope you're not coming without some kind of armor." Another strike, that totalled three altogether...and yet the Exo-Suit was still operational, still able to fight. Coldwar's expression grew just slightly more hardened, as this fight was very quickly becoming more of a handful by the moment. Such thoughts were only echoed by the sudden impact, as metal grinded against metal in a surprising kamikaze style attack from his opponent. "Slag... Human, you impress me with your tenacity," he says, loudly enough for the man inside of the machine to perhaps pick up the sound of his voice given their proximity. The proximity... That posed a problem of its own, forcing the barrel of the Frostbite Cannon into an angle too awkward to be used, but without hesitation Coldwar quickly opted for his last resort. Through subspace it came, a handheld energy weapon the proportionate size of a pistol. "Back it up, Soldier." Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Laser attack! <> Vince retorts, his own voice coming through the tiny twin speakers on the 'face' of the exo. The laser impact scored his already damaged armor, and Vince smirks and thrusts up and away, with a trick up his sleeve yet to play. His 'ace-in-the-hole', as it were. With a little luck, he'd get enough time for this trick to work, since it's been about 50-50, to date. As he thrust up and away, he looked around quickly for a building with a helicopter pad on it, where he set down and immediately, without powering down, leapt from the cockpit and hit the ground, a couple of small tools in his hand as he pops open a panel on the underside of the Headhunter. Vince's forte here, repairing and patching exo's....A degree in mechanical engineering backing him up, he works fast, his hands moving almost automatically, as though he's been doing exactly this kind of thing for more years than he's been alive. With a quick prayer, hoping that his opponent doesn't get a shot on him, or his fresh patch job, he gets the targeting systems back online and hopes that some of his maneuvering thrusters come back on, as well. Combat: Vince Larsen sets its defense level to Protected. You leave the Exo-Jet Headhunter . Combat: Vince Larsen quickly patches up some of Exo-Jet Headhunter 's minor injuries. Andi Lassiter arrives from the Southwest State region. Andi Lassiter has arrived. "You're going to have to peel off at some point, Soldier. This position, I have a feeling, is no more advantageous to you..." With a sudden jolt the Exo-Suit did just that, and pulled quickly away from their embrace. Wasting no time at all, Coldwar returned the laser pistol to subspace and then hefted his rifle...just a little too slow. Poising himself for persuit, the Decepticon moved quickly to close the gap between himself and the retreating vessel. Odd though, that when he finds the human's machine perched atop a building that the hatch is open... No matter. If he took the vehicle out of commission, where would the enemy combatant run? "Is this a mistake on your part...or a trap?" the Decepticon mused, squinting again as he looked at the parked vehicle for one more moment before deciding to strike. Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Frostbite Cannon attack! Sliding out from beneath the Headhunter just as Coldwar comes trailing after, Vince mutters and then yells, probably loudly enough for the Decepticon to hear, despite the noise of being in flight "NOO!! You're gonna pay for that shot!" Never without a weapon in combat, even if it is a tiny little pea-shooter compared to the guns on the exo, Vince draws his pistol, a specially modified handgun, carrying only two rounds, and a /mighty/ kick, the gun was modified to fire a custom made 17mm round. Vince himself made the weapon, for situations exactly like this one. Pulling the trigger, the roar of the massive pistol round would deafen anyone in 10 or 15 feet not wearing hearing protection....Luckily, Vince is wearing his flight-helmet, which provides the hearing protection he needs. The muzzle flash is massive, looking more like a highpowered rifle than a pistol's muzzle flash as that large round leaves the weapon at supersonic speeds, and the armor piercing shell streaks towards it's target. Yup, it's a pea-shooter compared to everything else, but isn't it EPIC when a human shoots at a Decepticon with something like that?! Combat: Vince Larsen misses Coldwar with its Pistol attack! Indeed it is epic that that a human would fire on a giant robot from outter space with a specially modified handgun, but fortunately for Coldwar the actual shot is rather anticlimactic. Spending too much time in human airspace however close he was to slaying the enemy soldier was ill-advised... The orders that had come down from Command were to engage and destroy the unidentified flier, and so far it seemed that mission was all but accomplished. Ruby red optics looked down upon the human, and Coldwar's vision zoomed in on the face of the man. Frostbite Cannon leveled again, he seemed ready to finish him off, but instead a shift of his body suggested a different idea was brewing within the mind of the Evil Decepticon. Lifting his right foot into the air, Coldwar rested it flat against the cockpit of the transforming EDC suit and with a sharp thrust aimed to kick it from the roof of the building. Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Kick attack! An EDC standard helicopter approaches from the west, homing in on the Decepticon. From the open side door of the helicopter, a small form aims ... something at Coldwar. Ooooohhhh.......This Decepticon needed to learn that you don't mess with Vince's Headhunter! Only one shot left, he needed to work on giving this thing some more ammo, or a nice targetting system, or something. Yeah, he was banged up a bit from the aerial battle, but he'd rather get beat up than his baby, as it goes toppling over, though luckily, not off the roof itself! From what amounted to virtually point-blank range, the human, either suicidal or just that angry, pointed his weapon and again pulled the trigger. "You'll pay for that!" As he fires, he takes note of the helicopter coming in, and his sharp eyes picked out the form of Andi.....What in the name of all that was holy was she doing in a helicopter?! Combat: Vince Larsen sets its defense level to Fearless. Combat: Vince Larsen strikes Coldwar with its Pistol attack! The planking sound of the pistol round was more of an indication that he'd been hit than the actual damage itself, though the act of continuing to fire upon him even at such a severe disadvantage struck a heavy chord with the Decepticon soldier. "Still fight left in you, Soldier? You are a credit to your species... Courage is always a virtuous trait," he notes. "I salute you." Still, the Exo-Suit was still on the roof... Still able to be used as far as Coldwar could tell. His mission incomplete, he lifted from the roof of the building and aimed the barrel of his trusty Frostbite Cannon at the roof itself. If the kick couldn't do the trick, then perhaps destroying the roof and burying the human weapon within the rubble would. A blue flash of supercooled vapor erupts from the cannon in what may very well slay both the man and the machine alike unless luck was truly on the side of Corporal Vince Larsen. Combat: Coldwar strikes Exo-Jet Headhunter with its Frostbite Cannon attack! -2 Combat: Exo-Jet Headhunter is completely disabled. Yeah, that was about the last bit of fight that Vince had in him, since he was now out of ammo, and as Coldwar prepared to quick-freeze him, he turned and dove for the roof-access door, which, as luck would have it, was rather flimsy, allowing the young man to crash through it, though he'd probably feel it, if the bruising from being tossed around in the cockpit of the Headhunter didn't mask that bit of pain. Combat: Vince Larsen sets its defense level to Protected. Combat: Vince Larsen begins retreating, leaving itself vulnerable to parting shots from Andi Lassiter and Coldwar Andi Lassiter has an odd looking weapon of some sort and is aiming it at the Decepticon. If Vince Larsen's read the personnel files, he'll know that she's NOT military trained. So what the HECK is she doing? She fires the odd weapon, which doesn't SOUND like a typical human projectile weapon, and three tiny pink spheres are sent at Coldwar's face at a pace somewhere between an arrow and a bullet. Mission accomplished. The Exo-Suit was down, and the human... Where did he go? Coldwar's optics quickly began to scan over the shredded roof of the building, but to no avail. The human was gone, as far as he could tell. It didn't matter though, a man that fights with such gusto deserved to live. The arrival of the EDC chopper was not unexpected, and the laser pistol quickly emerged once more from subspace only to be struck by the tiny pink spheres! Andi Lassiter shouts something to the helicopter pilot, who sets down on a neighboring building just long enough for her to get out before lifting off again and turning to meet up with an approaching fleet of EDC vehicles. She approaches the corner of the building closest to Coldwar. "HEY!" Lowering his weapon, Coldwar could already sense that something was wrong. The pink spheres hadn't seemed to do any actual damage to the weapon, but if so...what was the point of such an attack? It didn't take long for the Soldier to figure it out. The weapon was offline, perhaps temporarily, but unusable at the moment all the same. Back to subspace the laser pistol was set, and both of the Decepticon's hands returned to his Frostbite Cannon. Hey? Shifting to face the voice calling from an adjacent building, Coldwar aimed his weapon at the organic standing there, finger upon the trigger. "..." Andi Lassiter is still holding the strange weapon, but is not aiming it at the Decepticon at the moment. This is a human woman, smaller in stature than would be considered average. And even odder than the weapon, she's not wearing any sort of protective gear whatsoever. She shouts across the way at him, "Don't you think you done enough already today?" Granted, the woman's outfit was something to take notice of... Her weapon too, wasn't lethal, but meant to render weapons useless. There was precious little that she could do to him, especially now that she had given up the mobility of the craft that she had arrived on. Still, she was armed, and had fired at him. That alone was enough to label the organic an enemy combatant. "...Drop your weapon," Coldwar states coolly. "Perhaps I have..." Andi Lassiter rolls her eyes, lowering the paintball gun. "It's a TOY. The pink stuff is a gelatinous pigment. I was just trying to get your attention. Now, are you going to keep stomping about in a weak imitation of Godzilla, or are you going to leave us be?" Gelatinous pigment? Perhaps some of it had clogged the barrel of his laser pistol, causing it to jam up. That made a little sense... But Coldwar didn't come here to play cops and robbers with this human. "Go home, human," the Decepticon states simply enough. "The battlefield is no place for a civilian." Folding in on himself, contorting, and snapping parts of his anatomy into new configurations the Decepticon transforms and begins to retreat back to the Mexican border.